They say looks aren’t everything. But when it comes to your online branding, they definitely are. How your viewers consume your online content is almost as important as the content they consume.

The folks at Crazyegg developed an infographic that explains why looks are everything for your online branding.

Looks are Everything…Online

Eye Movement Tracking

• Users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the “fold,” or the portion of the web page that doesn’t require any scrolling.
• 69% of users’ time is spent looking at the left half of a webpage.

Big Image and Positive Space Attract Readers’ Eyes First

• When first landing on a page, usually the visitor’s eyes jump to the leading image on a page, and then go downwards to actual content.
• Visitors are usually unaware of the right side of a web page when it is not a landing page.
• Scanning text is extremely common in higher-literacy users. Lower literacy users “plow text”.

How Eye Movement Tracking Influences Web Design

Various usability studies and their findings have determined how web design influences eye movement tracking and interaction:

• Logos
• Button Size
• Placement
• Spaces

Design Tips To Consider

1. Place logo at the top left of the site and do not have the head banner distract from that image.
2. Place important content on the left side of the page.
3. Navigation bars should be across the top or on the left side, preferably across the top.
4. Consider F& E eye movement patterns when writing content and image layout.
5. First two paragraphs on every page should state the most important information.
6. Do not include a lot of text as users will not read it completely.

Infographic